Banding apparatus



Aug.18,1936. Y G FMCCAH'EY 2,051,097

BANDI NG APPARATUS Filed April 13, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 1s, 1936.

G. F. MCCAHEY 2,051,6Q7

BANDING APPARATUS Filed April 13, 1933 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 im rffl/Mz ug. 18, 1935. G. F. MCCAHEY A 2,051,097

BANDINGV APPARATUS lFiled April 13, 1933 5 sheets-Sheet 3 fuglg, 1936- G. F. MCCAHEY ZEOSLQ? BANDING APPARATUS Filed April l5, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 fg-H3 Aug. 18, 1936. G. F. MGCAHEY BANDING APPARATUS Filed April 13, 1933 5 SheebS-SheefI 5 Patented Aug. 18, 1936 @FICE BANDING APPARATUS Application April 13, 1933, Serial No. 665,947

14 Claims. (Cl. 153-1) My present invention relates to apparatus for measuring lengths of wire, thread, and the like, and has particular reference to apparatus for marking off predetermined lengths by means of bands and the like.

It has been found desirable in manufacturing wire, cord, braided strips, and the like, and particularly insulated wire, to mark predetermined lengths in order to insure exactness in selling and in use. Although automatic apparatus has been devised for such marking, it has heretofore been necessary to provide separate power mechanism to insure accurate setting and clamping of the marking bands.

It is the. principal object of my invention to provide an automatic marking apparatus which does not require separate power mechanism and is operated by the pull of the wire itself in passing from one reel to another, as from the supply reel to the finished reel.

The automatic devices heretofore utilized for length marking have operated at relatively low speeds, and it has been difoult to maintain their speed in timed unison to the speed of rotation of the other apparatus and the reels for the wire. It is a further object of my invention to provide an automatic apparatus which may operate at high speeds, and which preferably functions automatically in timed relation to the speed of the wire reels.

Moreover, automatic wire marking devices have not heretofore been portable, and have necessarily been closely and operatively connected to the wire and thread manufacturing mechanism, this close connection decreasing the availability and range of action of the marking devices and limiting the usefulness thereof. Another object of my invention is to provide a portable device which may be readily shifted wherever desirable. and which may readily be adjusted to accurately measure and mark wire or thread of any thickness.

One type of marking apparatus heretofore used for this purpose includes a rotatable drum about which the wire is wound; it has heretofore been found necessary with rotatable drums of this nature to use axial slides and dies for periodically marking and banding the wire as it passes through the apparatus. Such axial slides and dies have entailed certain difficulties in that the axial members must be accurately set on the machine itself, and must be adjusted on the machine in order to function properly. It is a further object of my invention to utilize a rotating drum which is equipped with radial slides, these radial slides being removable as a unit so that they may be adjusted on the bench and then locked in place on the rotatable drum.

Banding machines of the automatic type have not, heretofore, been suitable for banding materials of a non-circular formation. This has been 5 due to the use of axial dies, which push the band material around the wire or thread, thus forcing the edge of the banding strip into a Wire or thread if it has an oblong or other non-circular crosssection. It is a further object of my invention to l0 provide an automatic banding or marking apparatus which will properly band wire or thread of any cross-section; and it is preferred to accomplish this object by positioning the material over the banding strip and then folding the ends of the 15 strip over the material.

Banding and measuring devices of the type described have also been difficult to set and to maintain in proper adjustment, because it has heretofore been necessary to mount the banding mate- 2o rial supply on the rotating drum. It is still another object of my invention to provide a central feed for the banding material, this banding material being intermittently and positively fed to the banding mechanism through the center of the ro- 2`5 tation of the drum from a supply carried at the back of the drum.

With the above and other objects and various features in View, my invention consists of a novel arrangement of parts more fully disclosed in the 3QVV detailed description following, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and more specically defined in the claims appended thereto. In order to simplify the description, a specific embodiment of my invention suitable for banding 3,5Y

and marking covered double wiring for electric circuits is described, but it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific details described, and is suitable for marking and for banding thread, wire, cord, and other strip 490 material.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical elevation, partly in section, of the improved measuring apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a top plan View of Fig. 1, parts being 45 broken away;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section, parts being broken away, showing the feed path of the banding material;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the off-take tensioning means;

Fig. 5 is a back reverse View of the rotatable drum to show the construction thereof;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional detail showing 55r the resilient fingers for maintaining the wire in proper alignment on the rotatable drum;

Fig. 7 is a detailed View showing the cams for controlling timing of the feeding and the banding mechanism;

Fig. 8 is a perspective View, partly broken away, showing the banding mechanism;

Figs. 9, 10 and 11 are diagramatic views showing the position of the banding dies at various stages of the banding operation;

Fig. 12 is a View on the line I2-l2 of Fig. 9, in the direction indicated by the arrows;

Fig. 13 is a plan view on the line I3.l3 of Fig. 9;

Fig. 14 is a perspective view showing the construction of the lower die intermediate member;

Fig. 15 is a plan view, partly in section, of the supply reel for the banding material;

Fig. 16 is an enlarged detail, partly in section, of the intake ltensioning mechanism;

Fig. 17 is a perspective View of the intake tensioning bar; Y

Fig. 18 is a perspective View, partly in section, showing the formationof the intake guide tube adjacent the tensioning bar position.

The apparatus in general v The marking and banding apparatus is preferably positioned between a supply reel and a finished product reel, as the speed is Vvery high, a standard five foot machine preferably marking and banding ve hundred feet of wire a minute. The apparatusris therefore preferably portable,

Yand is made light in weight and small in size through a guide tube 23, then is wound around the drum in the drum groove 24where it is maintained in operating position by suitable guide de-V vices, hereinafter described, thenv is marked at predetermined intervalsfwith bands by the banding mechanism, isreleased from the drum groove, and then passes out through an off-take tensioning device 25 to the finished reel (not shown). There is no power mechanism, as the pull of the finished reel is sufficient to rotate the drum and cause the feeding and banding mechanism to function. Y

As the wire rotates the drum, a counter mechanism 26, of standard type, which is operatively geared to the Vdrum bymeans of bevel gears 21, 28, Ywhich are respectively-keyed to the hollow drum shaft 29 and to the counter shaft 3D, see Fig. 3, indicates the length of the wire that has been marked and banded.

The drum 2 l has an` adjustable segment 3|, see Figs. 1 and 5, which is securedV to the drum body by a bolt and slot arrangement 32, and is radially adjustable to compensate for different thicknesses of Wire, as therapparatusV is designed to. mark the wire once for each rotation, and therefore once for each length corresponding to the circumference of the groove 24. As the drum revolves the Wire is kept against the outer edge of the groove by spaced fingers 33, see Figs. 5 and 6, which extend into slots 3,4 found in the inner edge of the groove, and are pivoted in supports 35 secured to the inner surface of the drum, a spring or the like 36 which has one end set in a recess 31 in the drum surface and the other end engaging a centering pin 38 at the lower end of the finger 33 serving to resiliently urge the upper end of the finger inwardly in the slot. The lower end of each finger has a roller support 39 therein which carries a roller 46) the latter periodically engaging a fixed cam lil on the standard 20 to press the lower end of the finger inwardly as indicated and thus release the wire to permit free passage from the drum groove.

The band material feeding mechanism The band material feeding mechanism includes a reel'of material which is rotatably mounted on the rear surface of the drum, and intermittently operated feeding devices which are secured to the front surface of the drum, the band material passing through an axial opening at the center of rotation ef' the drum.

As best shown in Fig. 3, the band material B, which is in strip form, is unwound from a supply roll i2V which is mounted in a reel arrangement 43, and is passed through the hollow drum shaft29 and between the flanges of a guide rollerM, and is led upwardly through a stepped guide plate 45 and between two knurled feed rolls 46, 41. The lower feed roll 'it is rotatablyv mounted in a bracket 48 secured to the outer face of the drum, the shaft of the lower feed roll extending laterally from the bracket t3 to key with a ratchet wheel 49 at one end and a. gear 50 at the other; the gear 5D meshes with the gear 5l of the upper' feed roll 41, the latter being rotatably mounted in the upper portion of the bracket 52 and being vertically adjustable in the bracket 5.2 by suitable bearing blocks, adjusting bolts, and lock wing nuts to regulate the pressure pull of the two feed rolls on the strip of banding material.

The actuating mechanism for the ratchet wheel is shown in Figs. l, 2 and 3, and includes a lever device 53 which is pivoted on the lower feed roll shaftV and carries a ratchet pawl 55 at the upper end thereof, the lever being vertically reciprocatable by asystem of levers including a bar 55 pivotedrat one end to the drum and carrying a central rod 5t` with a cam roller 5'! at 'the lower end thereof, the other end of the bar 55 being spring pressed inwardly by a tension spring 58 into stopping engagement with an adjustable fixed stop 59 mounted on the drum. The ratchet wheel 69 is locked against reverse movement by a lock ratchet pawl 60.

The cam roller 5,1 is periodically contacted by a cam 6I which is fixed on the stationary cam hub 62, See Fig. 3, in which the drum shaft 29 rotates, and which is part of the stationary support structure. The stationary support structure is preferably made in sections, as indicated in Fig. 3,'to simplify manufacturing and assembly.

The banding mechanism 65, and aV lower reciprocable die SS which is` mounted between the guide walls 6l, 68 and anv adjustable spacing plate 69 in the lower portion of the housing, the face plate 'lll being secured to the guide walls to lock the lower die in place. The

wall 61 is slotted to permit Vertical movement of a pin secured to the lower die, a tension spring 'I2 secured at one end to the pin 1| and at the other end to a pin 73 or the like mounted in the wall 61 serving to resiliently urge the lower die downwardly. The lower die carries a cam roller 'I4 and a laterally positioned cam roll 75 at the lower end thereof, for the purpose hereinafter explained. A guide plate 65a is positioned adjacent the upper die to ensure separation of the incoming and outgoing wire in the vicinity of the banding mechanism.

The upper die has a depending nub 'I6 with two forwardly and two rearwardly spaced fingers T1 or wings which extend downwardly as shown in Fig. 9. The lower die has a central plate 'I8 and two spacing plates 19 which are removably mounted in the die to provide spaced channels into which the ngers Tl may enter, the three plates being shaped to provide a die pocket or recess 8| for the banding operation. The band' ing material is intermittently fed through a .slot by the feed rolls, and a banding strip is periodically cut off upon each reciprocation of the lower die by the coaction of a cutting plate which is detachably secured to the lower die with a Xed cutting plate 83 which is secured to the housing. Two guide fingers 8d are mounted on the sides of the walls 61 and 68 to cooperate with the groove Walls and maintain the wire over the die recess; the banding strip is guided between two guide pins 85 mounted on the upper face of the lower die block, and is received in a slot 86 formed in the lower cutter, see Fig. 12, this slot having projecting edges or blocks 8'! to better center the banding strip. Clean out openings 83, 89 are provided in the lower die, to facilitate cleaning of the dies.

Referring now to Fig. 7, the stationary cam support 62 has a cam S6 thereon which actuates the cam roller 'M as the drum rotates, and also has a cam rib 9| which is formed on a plate S2, this cam rib being engaged by the cam roller 75 to positively return the lower die to its down position and thus` ensure separation of the dies and the cutters.

The tensioning mechanism The upper framework of the standard 20 is of generally triangular shape, see Fig. '7, the upper corners serving as supports for the intake and the olf-take tensioning mechanisms. The intake tensioning mechanism 22 is shown in Figs. 16, 17, and 18, and comprises a block or weight 93 which is reciprocatably mounted on two spaced pins 94 secured to a support 95, see Fig. 1, the latter being bolted or otherwise attached to the right upper corner of the standard20. The weight 93 has an adjustable bearing screw which rests on a bearing bar 95, this bar also being slidably mounted on the pins 94, and being slotted to provide a downwardly directed bearing nger 91 which extends into a cut-away portion 9B of the guide tube 23 to rest upon the wire as it passes to the drum. The guide tube 23 is rigidly held in position by a rear bearing 99 and a front bearing ISB which are respectively secured to the support 95 and the upper portion of the standard 20.

The out-take tensioning mechanism 25 is shown in Figs. 1 and 4, and Yincludes a lower roller |0| rotatably mounted on the upper left hand corner of the standard 20 and a springtensioned upper roller |02 which is mounted at 'the end of a lever |03 pivoted to an upstanding boss or arm |04 of the standard 20,'the arm |04 and the lever |03 having parallel ribs |05 and |06 between which an adjustable tension spring |01 is mounted to resiliently urge the lever |03 and its .roller v|02 downwardly towards the roller |0I. l

Suitable guide-rolls and pins, such as. shown at the intake end by reference character |08, and at the out-take end by reference characters |09 and H0, are utilized wherever needed.

The banding material supply reel It has been found advisable t'o provide a supply reel for the banding material which will not bind or jam, and which will facilitate insertion of the rolls of banding material. To-this end, the supply reel includes a base plate which is fixed to the drum, and a cover plate l2 which is hinged, as indicated in Fig. l5, each plate having a hub 3 in which a roll ||4 is rotatably mounted; lock plates ||5 are secured to the outer ends of each roll, and a bolt ||6 is passed through the rolls to lock the assembly together. The rolls and the bolt are thus independently rotatable in the reel, and no binding or jamming can take place; the enlarged inner portions of the rolls serve to facilitate setting and mounting of the banding material rolls inplace.

The operation The operation of the improved apparatus may now be explained:

The wire is first positioned in the apparatus, and the banding material isrinserted in the banding material supply reel and is fed forwardly until it is gripped by the feed rolls. `The finished reel now winds upl the wire at any desired speed, and the pull of the wire on the drum rotates the drum. The drum movement produces a periodic movement of the feed rolls to feed the banding material into position into the banding mechanism, which operates periodically to cut off a strip of banding material, which strip is pulled down into the die recess by the wire and assumes a U-shape about the wire; the upward movement of the lower die then curls the ends of the U-strip over to securely band the wire. As the drum continues its rotation, the spring fingers holding the wire are released to permit free outward movement of the banded wire. The provision of an intake and an outtake tensioning mechanism keeps the Wire taut Within the drum groove, and thus ensures accurate measurement and banding.

General features The improved apparatus is therefore simple in construction and in operation, requires no auxiliary or separate power, and does not interfere with existing manufacturinglayouts, as it is adapted for insertion between the standard supply and finished reels.

The provision of initial and final tension mechanism, and of an adjustable drum section, ensure accuracy in measurement and in banding. The removability of the die support and its dies permit bench adjustment oi the dies, and facilitate change of dies to accommodate different wires or strips, and different cross-section of wires or strips.

The use of radial dies provides an effective mechanism for banding wires or strips of any cross-section; since the ends of the banding strips are folded over the wire, tearing or gouging are eliminated. The improved reel construction for the banding material through the center of the drum simplify the feed arrangement and prevent delays due to jamming and the like.

While the elements of the novel apparatus `are primarily designed to emciently cooperate for the purpose of banding predetermined lengths of wire or strips, the several elements ofthe invention have broad appliability, as their usefulness is not restricted to handing machines. Their proportions, materials, shapes, and operation may be changed as required for different installations, and their cooperation may be modified, withinthe limits and the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim: Y

1. In a measuring and marking apparatus, a freely rotatable drum for receiving a wire or the like to be marked, andl mechanism engageable with the wire mounted on said drum and actuated by rotation of said drum to'mark predetermined lengths of the Wire.

2. In a measuring and marking apparatus, a drum support, a freely rotatable drum mounted thereon for receiving a wire or the like to be marked, mechanism engageable with the wire and actuated by rotation of said drumto mark predetermined lengths of said wire, and tensioning mechanism on the drum support for the incoming and the outgoing wire.

3. In a measuring and marking apparatus, a freely rotatable drum for receiving a wire or the like to be marked, vand mechanism mounted on said drum and operable upon rotation of said drum to band predetermined lengths of the Wll'e.

4. In a measuring and marking apparatus, a freely rotatable drum for receiving a wire or the like to be marked, mechanism for supplying bandmaterial to said drum, and mechanism for cutting strips of said banding material and folding said strips about the wire at predetermined lengths thereof.

5. In a measuring and marking apparatus, a freely rotatable drum for receiving a Wire or the like to be marked, mechanism for supplying banding material to said drum, and mechanism for cutting strips of said banding material,period ically setting the wire in the center of the strips,V and folding the ends of the strips over the wire.

6. In a. measuring and marking apparatus, a

rotatable drum for receiving a wire or the like toV be marked, a supply device ior banding material carried on the back of the drum, banding mechanism carried on the front of the drum, and means for conducting banding material from the supply to the banding mechanism.

7. In a measuring and marking apparatus, a rotatable drum for receiving a wire orV the like the banding material supply and the passage of,

to be marked, a supply device for bandingmaterial carried on the back of the drum, banding mechanism carried on the front of the drum, and means for conducting banding material from the supplyrthrough the center of rotation of the drum and to the banding mechanism.

8. In a measuring and marking apparatus, a rotatable drum for receiving a wire or the like to be marked, a supply `device for banding material carried on the back of the drum, feeding mechanismcarried on the front of the drum, and means for conducting banding material from the supply to the feeding mechanism.

9., In a measuring and marking device, a ro,- tatable drum having a groove for receiving a Wire or the like to be marked, said drum having an adjustable section radially shiftable to compensate for diiferent wire thickness. Y

10. In a measuring and marking device, a tatable drum having a groove for receiving a wire or the like to be marked, slots in one wall of said groove, resilient lingers in said slots adapted to engage the wire and maintain it in alignment in said groove, and means for periodically releas ing said fingers.

11; In a measuring and marking device, a tension regulator comprising a wire guide having an open groove portion, a tension bar slidably mounted above said guide and having a Wire contacting nger in juxtaposition to the open groove portion, and a weight block slidably mounted above said bar and contacting said bar.

12.. In a measuring and marking device, a supplyreel for banding material having a fixed plate,

a cover plate hingeclly mounted and normally positioned parallel to the xed plate, axially aligned rolls rotatably mounted in said plates, and a lock bolt passing through said rolls and rotatable therein.

13. In combination, a supply reel for wire or the like, a take-up reel, a power drive for said take-up reel, a freely rotatable drum positioned between said reels and engageable by the Wire for rotating the drum by the pull of the wire from the take-up reel, and mechanism mounted on said drum and engageable with the Wire and actuated by rotation of said drum to mark predetermined lengths of the Wire.

14. In combination, a supply reel for wire or the like, a take-up reel, a power drive for said take-up reel, a freely rotatable drum positioned between said reels and engageable by the wire for rotating the drum by the pull ofthe wire from the take-up reel, and mechanism mounted on said drum and engageable with the wire and actuated by rotation of said drum to band predetermined lengths of the Wire.

GEORGE F. MCCAHEY. 

